Lyric Theatre, QPAC
November 7, 2018

A debut tour to Australia by a major ballet company is an event to be celebrated and on Wednesday, Brisbane had the pleasure of welcoming the Ballet Company of Teatro Alla Scala in Milan to the Lyric Theatre.

La Scala Ballet is one of the world’s leading companies with a history reaching back to the 18th century. For its first visit to Australia, it is showcasing the virtuosity and artistry of its dancers with two guaranteed crowd-pleasers, Don Quixote and Giselle. The season opened with a performance of Don Q, and it was a sparkling debut, received with standing ovations.

Nicoletta Manni as Kitri and Leonid Sarafanov as Basilio. Photograph © Darren Thomas

Don Quixote is a 19th century work, choreographed by Petipa in 1869. Rudolf Nureyev revived it in 1966 and it is his version in La Scala Ballet’s repertoire, much loved by ballet audiences for its winning mix of technical bravura, exuberance and comic touches. La Scala Ballet brought the world of a fantastical Spain brilliantly to life with their sophisticated dance, music, costumes and sets, energetically accompanied by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Coleman.

Act 1 opens in the...